Optical character recognition, or OCR, is the process of transforming a graphical bit image of a page of textual information into a text file wherein the text information is stored in a common computer processable format, such as ASCII. The text file can then be edited using standard word processing software.
When a document is being scanned, the brightness of each dot, or pixel, within the image of the document is stored as a code that represents the tonal range of the pixel. When using a monochromatic scanner, the tonal range varies from pure black to pure white along a gray scale. The code, or gray scale level, is typically eight bits, giving a tonal range of 0 to 255, where 0 is typically pure black and 255 is typically pure white. If a color image is being scanned, three values are returned, one for red, one for green, and one for blue. Each of these has a range of 0 to 255.
After a document is scanned, the information content must be separated from the background before the information can be processed. One of the first steps in separating the information from the background is to determine the edges of the information, so that the information can be more easily classified by type. The next step is to determine the type of the information within the edges.
There is a need in the art then for a system to locate the information in a scanned document. There is a further need for such a system the classifies the type of information present. The present invention meets these needs.